The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-11
HOW LONGe
The Question Asked by London Journal
About the Duration of Royalty.

The Question Asked by London Journal
About the Duration of Royalty.
Pail Mall Gazette.
The splendor aud the pomp of the great pageant,
and all the gorgeous glories with which the cere-
monial by dsft stage-managiug chamberlains
these were conspicuous enough. no doubt In
visible, but hardly less palpable. were the ira
ditions, the associations. the memories which
linked the central figure on the throne with our
ancient k-ngs. The institution is old. no doubt
stately, and ornamental beyond questionable
will il last
AS long the Queen lasts, yes; but after the
queens Who knowsl The fat little bald man
in red, who cut so poor figure in yesterdays
procession beside his magnificent brother In Jaw
In white. will be ever reign over us. and for how
longf It's true that the present moment seems
strange one to harbor such haunting douots.
when ell England but yesterday was ablaze with
exultant loyalty. But other monarchies, not
less ancient and quite as imposing ia their outer
framework, have vanished. leaving as little trace
behind as the frosted silver with which last
winter fligreed our window panes- That. also.
was as beautiful and lovely in outward show as
was the monarchy in France. AS il has gone
so may perish all the fair and stately splendor Of
our throne. What prospect has it of stability
what chance of permanence. In our shifting
since sat on the stone of Scone were the real
rulers OF the nation. Yesterday it was lmpossi-
BILE not to be impressed by the contrast between
the Queen, in the center of her Rlittering troop
the empire. Lord Salisbury. who sat in plain
black coat among the throng of peers In
France, long time ago. a dynasty which exhibit
ed the same contrast between the roi faineant
and the mayor of the palace passed away the
moment the real ruler ventured to ask who
should sit or the throne the man who ruled the
realm or the man who wore the crown. Ear be
1t from us to hint that our queen
plays no moro important role in the
modern state than the roi faineant
who was thrust aside SO roughly by Pepin, but
most of the functions of the sovereign-all
those in short. in whieh real power lies. and in
recognition of which the ceremonial of courts
his prime minister. So far as the pomp and
state of country ceremonial truly symbolic
they ought to be employed to glorfy Lore Sails
bury, not to glorify the Queen. This MISPLACE
ment gave a sense of unreality to yesterdays
proceedings feeling that they were a survival
rather than q living growth, and that after a
time they would pass away and the world would
know them no more. For whsn symbolism be-
comes false to facts its ultimate disappearance
Is only question OF time.
Kings were in their origin as unitarian
parliamentary whips. I'VE will have king
over us, said the people of Israel. s.that our
king may judge rs, and go out before us and
fight our battes" Our kings do none of these
things. The German kings discharge these
functions, and with them the kingship is still a
living power. instead OF being as with as. a mere
social convenience and graceful ornament Our
ton after which it is called as the bejeweled lit
tie bonnet which the Queen wore yesterday bears
to the fighting helm of William the Conqueror.
1t may be very useful in its way, and very pref
ty to look upon but it is no longer a vital neces
sity of the national existence. the living embodl
mont of the force and power of the government
OF the realm. It is apart from all
that--so much apart that if all the princes and
prncesses who yesterday assembled around the
Queen in the abbey had suddenly been blotted
out of existence it would not make any appre-
ciable change in the balance of power in the
state couple of dozen or more very elegant
and many of them most gracious supernumer-
aries would have ceased to exist. but neither in
politics nor in administration, nor even in the
social and moral development OF our people,
would there be felt any appreciable shock. such
as would be occasioned by the death Of Mr..
Gladstone, or Lord Harrington or Lord Sails
bury. Each of these three statesmen is a factor
in the government of the empire. AS for these
pretty princes aud princesses, they have their
uses, no doubt, and their graceful functions, but
the work OF government il not for them.
The monarchy will linger as picturesque in
stitution. with certain usefulness of low
order, until it gets in the way of the nation,
when the nation will dispense with it with re-
grets, as when some interesting ruin has to be
removed for a new road, but without hesitation
and without remorse. 1t is not improbable that
the very popularity of the monarchy in its pres
ent limited state may lure some future monarch
to his doom. AS an institution. the monarchy
satisfaction than any other institution in the
country. Tho house of peers is practically of
very little use, and Yields very little power. 1t
keep to 1t. The house Of commons is
in sickening condition of collapse.
The crown alone does its duty
satisfactorily. The fact that this is largely due
the strictly limited nature of the duties of the
crown will be more and more ignored. and then
will rise a general feeling that it would be we'll
if the sovereign were to be more of q real ruler
than is the at present Note, in passing,
the extraordinary suggestion made by good
radicals that the Queen should celebrate her
jubilee by vetoIng the coercion bill, as high
handed an act of arbitrary power as any OF
those that cost Charles Stuart his head. The
Queen has too much sense to risk all for the sake
of grasping at more. Will the Prince of Wales be
able to forbear3 At present, yes. But afterwards if
the decadence of parliamentary government is
not checked. and there should arise Prime
Minister versatile Lord Randolph. and. if
possible, more unscrupulous. who would cover
the exercise of the royal prerogatve by his ad-
We've not sure. And then if the
prince were Hohenzollern and his Prime Min
lister Bismarck we might see the refashioning
of our constitution. AS he is not q Hohenzol-
lern but merely a courtly society gentleman, of
absolutely no ambition beyond the role of a
superior court chamberlain. the experiment is
likely to have the same result. but altogether in
other fashion.
MARRIED AT MTnNICHT